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Monosaccharides - Drawing Fischer Projections quiz

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  • Who designed Fischer Projections and for what purpose?
    Emil Fischer designed Fischer Projections in 1891 specifically to illustrate carbohydrates and their chirality.
  • Where should the most oxidized carbon be placed in a Fischer Projection of a monosaccharide?
    The most oxidized carbon should be placed at the top of the Fischer Projection.
  • What is the main advantage of using Fischer Projections for sugars?
    Fischer Projections make it easier to compare the chirality and arrangement of OH groups in sugars.
  • What method is used to convert bond line representations to Fischer Projections?
    The caterpillar method is used to convert bond line representations to Fischer Projections.
  • In the caterpillar method, what happens to substituents already facing up?
    Substituents already facing up remain unchanged when converting to a Fischer Projection.
  • What shortcut can be used instead of the caterpillar method when drawing Fischer Projections?
    You can swap the stereochemistry of all downward facing alcohols directly as a shortcut.
  • How do you determine which side to place an OH group in a Fischer Projection using the shortcut?
    If an OH is facing down in the bond line, you swap it to the opposite side in the Fischer Projection.
  • What method is used to convert Fischer Projections back to bond line representations?
    The reverse caterpillar method is used to convert Fischer Projections back to bond line representations.
  • In the reverse caterpillar method, how are substituents closest to the viewer represented?
    Substituents closest to the viewer are drawn on wedges in the bond line structure.
  • What happens to substituents farthest from the viewer in the reverse caterpillar method?
    Substituents farthest from the viewer are drawn on dashes in the bond line structure.
  • Why might you get two different-looking bond line structures from the same Fischer Projection?
    You can get two different-looking structures because the zigzag chain can start going up or down, but both are correct.
  • Are both possible bond line structures from a Fischer Projection considered correct?
    Yes, both structures are correct and represent the same molecule, so full credit is given for either.
  • When converting from Fischer to bond line, which OH groups stay the same?
    OH groups that are still facing up in the zigzag chain stay the same in the bond line structure.
  • What should you do with downward facing OH groups when converting from Fischer to bond line?
    Downward facing OH groups should be flipped to the opposite stereochemistry in the bond line structure.
  • Why is it important to understand both drawing and undrawing Fischer Projections?
    Understanding both directions helps accurately represent and compare sugar chirality in different formats.